Today, the recycling bin area at the Parkway Centre in Coulby Newham is relatively tidy, with only a few items littering the floor - including a 3ft tall Santa Claus model.

But after Christmas in 2014, it was piled high with more than 40 tonnes of Christmas waste.

At the time, Councillor Tracy Harvey, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for environment, said at the time: “The irresponsible dumping of waste that we have seen in recent days is nothing more than fly-tipping and is a criminal offence.

“This has resulted in considerable extra cost to clean these sites, as well as the nuisance and inconvenience caused by the thoughtless attitude of a small minority.”

Forty tonnes of waste dumped at recycling site at Parkway Centre in Christmas 2014

The council warned that those dumping the waste would be prosecuted - with more than 100 formal warning letters issued to those caught on CCTV.

Improved fencing, along with the CCTV, were installed at the shopping centre facility.

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However, a proposal to close the Parkway Centre’s facilities was voted down, with councillors deciding to keep it open.

The authority said there has been a “dramatic reduction” in the amount of waste left at sites apart from the Parkway Centre, attributing it to the increase in recycling since the introduction of the blue-lidded wheelie bins.

The move had been criticised by Michael Hudson, a Coulby Newham resident of 40 years, who launched a campaign to improve facilities at the Parkway Centre while he was a councillor in 2015.